The 4th installment in the Far Cry series from Ubisoft is no different from its predecessors. We are playing as a tourist in an alien world called Kyrat- a fictional country in the Himalayas. But unlike the previous games, this time there’s a twist in the story. This time we have an emotional connection
to the place we’re playing in. We’re playing as Ajay Ghale, a native Nepalese person who has returned to Kyrat to scatter his mother’s ashes. But in a cruel twist of fate, we are compelled to battle with the Golden Path, an army of freedom fighters founded by Ajay’s late father, and the Pagan Min, the despotic self-appointed ruler of Kyrat.
The antagonist, Pagan Min, is somewhat of a James Bond villain, sharing some similarities with Vaas Montenegro, the villain in Far Cry 3. Pagan Min has a liking for Ajay, as he once had an affair with Ajay’s mother. To seal the fact that Pagan is an unpleasant character, Ubisoft has added a scene where he is scene tasting the ashes of Ajay’s mother. Pagan also has some characteristics similar to The Joker. Pagan has a number of chances to kill Ajay but chooses not to.
Enough about the story. Let’s talk about the setting in which Far Cry 4 is taking place. Kyrat is a beautiful place. Surrounded by towering ice capped peaks, fast flowing rivers, sheer drop offs and amazing forest cover, Kyrat is truly a spectacle to behold. The animals in Far Cry 4 have been beautifully crafted. If you have a decent PC I suggest you turn up the graphics settings high and just take in everything.
Wildlife is a very important part of the series. And Far Cry has tons of it. Kyrat is packed with giant elephants, majestic tigers, deer, bears and many other animals and birds. A fun part is and attack where you throw a piece of meat onto a place where there are a couple of enemies and then a bear or a tiger comes and attacks the armed mercenaries. Also there are honey badgers. They might not sound menacing but boy are they mean. They’ll rip you into shreds if you anger them. And there’s the Yeti. I’m not telling you much about them because you have to experience it for yourself. The best part about this game is that you get to ride a goddamn elephant. You can also drive rickshaws but those aren’t much fun as an elephant.
The series staples such as liberating outposts, climbing radio towers, hunting animals and crafting are back in the 4th installment. This being a Ubisoft game there are tons and tons of useless stuff on the map that just clogs up everything. But don’t ignore those. They usually comes with some great rewards and my personal favorites are the hunting ones.
All in all this is a great game for everyone who really wants to enjoy the open world experience and if you can, play the game on the highest setting. I’m sure you won’t be disappointed.